It was finally the homestretch... and Runestone's port was within sight.
And yes... it's just a port or a whole big dock now cause he's had those scant few link up.
Or at least it's on the way to being one... for it still would take quite the lot of effort, resources, and time to make a coastal city that hugs the shoreline.
Not to mention the accommodating the already rare sand beaches in his planning, for them to be untouched or incorporated responsibly.
And wouldn't you know it, they are currently surfed up by some wave riders.
In any case, the state of things was noticeably better than how it had been.
With the ports only being fishing villages and seldom partaking in trades.
However, under his nudging, woodcraft had shot up with him introducing plundered games and toy ideas every once in a while... even after the pot gardenings and being caught up with the shaping of the Order.
But those weren't the only industry that this developing "Runesport" was depending on.
For even fishing was something he dabbled in, like spearfishing ideas and crab cages... and he even asked the most experienced fisherman to share his skills and tricks...
Then writing it down... re-reading it until he mastered it... then writing down improved notes... mastering that too... then there were even more improvements to ink up... mastered that as well... and so on and so forth.
And at the point when he became satisfied with the optimization... he shared it back to the fishing locals. To which they soaked up what they can.
Making it so that they became generally great fishermen in the local peninsular waters… but also for Narrow Sea harvestings as well.
Those huge nets and multi-boat configurations of fishing formations… that he himself designed and lent out were hauling in the big schools.
That, in turn, led him to fish processing pursuits like the infamous "salted fish", smoking, and backwards sardining... which was then supplemented by the locals making delicious fish delicacies for the still fresh catch.
And he's also experimenting on all those seaweed-growing stuff... but his eyes were more on high-level and eco-powered pearl farming, which was just more rewarding on so many levels.
The time investment on that was not low though.
Then again, those were just the more marine-based industries... as the more inland and tumultuous hillscapes of Royce territories were something he had made developments in as well.
Husbandry and Old McDonald-ing is the path he took with that.
Like the poultry farms. With dedicated egg-collecting barns... with free-range and even mountain-range options. Because chickens are just staple food providers that he knew of.
Alas, the fried chickens here still hasn't reached that crispiness that he missed.
But then cows and pigs were also being raised for their milk, beef, and pork... but not as much, given some restrictions that he had to get around.
Then there's the breeding of horses that was a given, given that he had a knightly order and it was just that much of a necessity for medieval inland travels.
The rumored zorses would have been a choice, but those topheads are quite the distance away... and he might as well just crossbreed to maybe match whatever ferocity the Dothraki horses are having.
Consequently, he had the idea of acquiring those said-to-be unicorns from Skagos... to maybe make mountain trekking horsies that would be perfect for the Vale... but all in due time.
At the moment, he did have goats... or the truly mountain goats to work with... but it was more so on milking their unique goat cheese and whatever.
Funnily enough, he made use of a book that a lactose-intolerant maester made. Lactose intolerance still isn't a familiarized thing however and the maester was just that fond of milk even when his stomach didn't agree.
So, he was stubborn to process it all... and badaboom... Ronan capitalized on his work and improved upon it.
But he digressed... cause there's sheep in these lands as well.
And to paraphrase his biological father... here, the sheep that are prettier...
Also plentier and fluffier... so that their coat be processed as wool.
To such an achievement, he even popularized the song Baa Baa Black Sheep.
All in all, it was still introductory but pretty solid already... with all the shit and fly problems given appropriate and advancing solutions as well.
With all their byproducts, minus the shit, flowing into the ports... bolstering the port's trade options.
And instead of just waiting for seafaring merchants to stop by, why not caravan it to sea himself?
Which is why ship development is also noticeably bolstered... from the one-masted Bronze Cogs that float about while bat-sailed Bronze Junks do the same.
It was the rudimentary fleet he had built up from the constant innovation with toy boats... then rowboat DIYs from the fishing locals... and then forcefully apprenticing himself to a shipwrighting business in the more established Gulltown.
It was a step-by-step but also a heavenly rewarding process that awarded him with the Santa Ma-Rhea he was standing at present.
On that note, he turned to his mother Rhea beside him... and noticed that she was fairly calm now.
Kind of like how she was still able to hold it in during that awful audience with King Viserys... but then she was almost erupting during the heir-ing ceremony.
So, he could only wager that it must have been that unfortunate time of the month... or just miffed that her son could have actually been the heir being bowed to, instead of the princess.
Highlighting the need to port the ship and let her rest in Runestone... the centerpiece castle of the progressing and tentatively named "Runesport".
For it is a land of runes and not just bronze.
And his home that's hopefully far enough away from whatever mess the Targaryens are about to go through.
Something that he really worked his ass on… and he didn't want to trade that away to sit himself in an uncomfortable chair of pointy swords.